Requirements
There are just two requirements for exchanging data using AS2:
- A dedicated Internet connection with 24 x 7 availability
- A web server
Using EPIC or ODEX Enterprise as your AS2 software means that you do not need a separate web server, since ODEX performs all the functionality of a web server that is required by AS2.
Implementation
Although the use of encryption provides the necessary security during the transmission of data, AS2’s use of the Internet has implications for the security of data once it arrives at the recipient’s internal network infrastructure. The use of a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), achieved using two firewalls, can be a solution to this problem.
This approach has the advantage that a new port will not need to be opened up for every trading partner, as access is restricted through each of the firewalls to a single port.
Data Transmission Steps
The following steps are usually involved in AS2 transmissions, whether they are sent by you to your trading partners or by your trading partners to you.
- Encryption – data to be transmitted is picked up and encrypted
- Signing – after encryption, a digital signature is generated and attached to the transmission
- Transmission – the data is transmitted from one trading partner to another using HTTP or HTTPS
- Signature Verification – on receipt, the signature attached to the transmission is verified to ensure it was sent from an accepted sender and the integrity of the data is checked to ensure there have been no alterations since it left the sender
- Decryption – the data is decrypted by the recipient
- File storage – the decrypted file is delivered to the recipient’s system for processing
- Return of MDN – a Message Disposition Notification (MDN) is generated and returned to the sender to acknowledge successful receipt of the data by the receiver (if the MDN is signed, this provides non-repudiation of receipt)
- Verification of MDN signature – the data sender verifies the MDN signature to ensure that the data was received by the expected recipient